A Daly City man who was shot while driving Saturday morning, then crashed his car into a Chanslor Avenue home and died, was identified by authorities Monday.

Rodel Sarmiento, 43, was driving west on Chanslor about 8:30 a.m. when at least four shots were fired into his vehicle, hitting him and causing him to swerve off the road into the side of a house near 18th Street. No one in the house was injured, but Sarmiento was pronounced dead at the scene.

The shooting happened just blocks away from the city’s annual Cinco de Mayo parade on 23rd Street, but no one has come forward as a witness, Detective Nicole Abetkov said.

Abetkov said police do not know why Sarmiento was in Richmond on Saturday morning.

The shooting marks the ninth homicide of the year in Richmond.

— Erin Ivie, Staff

Antioch

Man killed outside hotel identified

Authorities have identified the man shot and killed outside a hotel early Saturday as Jason Dikes, a 38-year-old transient from the Antioch area, officials said.

Dikes was shot multiple times in front of the hotel in the 500 block of East 18th Street about 3:40 a.m., police said. The name of the hotel was not released, and it was not clear if Dikes had been a guest there.

Police and paramedics tried to resuscitate Dikes, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police did not release a motive in the killing, and no arrests have been made. The shooting is the third homicide of the year in the city of Antioch.

— Erin Ivie, Staff

ANTIOCH

Teen wounded in shooting near schools

A teenager was wounded and two other kids injured Sunday in a shooting close to Antioch High School and Fremont Elementary School, police said.

The shooting occurred just before 8:30 p.m. in the area of D Street near West 19th Street, police said. They found a 17-year-old boy bleeding from a gunshot wound in his left arm. He was taken to a hospital and was in stable condition Monday, police said.

A 12-year-old girl and an 11-year old boy suffered cuts to their arms and hands from broken glass after the vehicle in which they were sitting when the shooting happened was hit by a stray bullet, police said. Both were treated for their injuries at the scene.

Police are investigating the incident and did not release any suspect information.

— Rick Hurd, Staff

WALNUT CREEK

Teen crashes car into utility pole, fence

A teenager was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after he struck a roadway median, hit a utility pole and crashed into the fence of a residence on his way home from a high school dance, police said.

Officers were called about 5:30 a.m. Sunday for a report of a car that smashed into a backyard fence of a home on Venado Camino, police said.

A preliminary investigation revealed the teen was driving west on Ygnacio Valley Road when he struck the center median, hit a utility pole and then crossed over the eastbound lanes before hitting the fence.

The driver was not injured, police said.

The teen was released to his parents after his arrest.

The crash closed Ygnacio Valley Road in both directions for about an hour until the power lines could be secured, police said.

— Natalie Neysa Alund, Staff

San Ramon

Residents escape fire that burns home

No one was injured in a blaze late Monday morning that destroyed a garage and caused significant damage to a home on a cul-de-sac near Alcosta Boulevard, a fire spokeswoman said.

The one-alarm fire broke out at 21 Portsmouth Court about 11:45 a.m., San Ramon Valley Fire spokeswoman Kimberly French said.

The garage attached to the two-story home was fully ablaze by the time fire crews arrived, French said. It appears an unknown number of residents were home when the fire started, but all left the home on their own and were uninjured, she said.

A damage estimate was not immediately available, she said. Investigators were still trying to determine the origin of the blaze and its cause.

— Rick Hurd, Staff

PINOLE

Four arrested in home burglary; items found

Police arrested a group of four suspected of burglarizing a home on Simas Avenue, the second time in two weeks that thieves targeted a home on that street.

Elissa Garcia, 20, and Oscar Lopez, 18, both of Richmond, were arrested with two juveniles about noon Friday after police say the four took jewelry and other items from a home on Simas Avenue. All four were booked on suspicion of burglary, conspiracy to burglarize and possession of stolen property, police said.

An alert resident tipped police after noticing a suspicious person standing in front of the residence and three others running from the home with what appeared to be a pillowcase with items in it, police Chief John Hardester said.

The four fled in an undisclosed vehicle, but police caught up to it when the vehicle failed to stop at a stop sign at the intersection of Sarah and Rebecca drives, Hardester said. Police pulled over the car and found a pillowcase containing jewelry and other items taken from the Simas Avenue home, Hardester said.

— Rick Hurd, Staff

BENICIA

Suspicious fires may be linked to arson

Police said Monday they are investigating whether suspicious fires near Mary Farmar Elementary School and at Ninth Street Park are linked to a string of other suspected arson fires over the weekend.

The fire near the school scorched a field and tree at 12:22 a.m. Sunday, Benicia police Lt. Frank Hartig said. The park fire burned a bathroom facility at 11:30 p.m. Friday, he said. No injuries were reported in either case.

Investigators are looking for evidence that might connect the fires to Robert Edward McKinley, 23, of Benicia. McKinley, a fire department volunteer, was arrested early Sunday in connection with a string of weekend arson fires ringing the city, police said.

— (Vallejo) Times-Herald

Walnut Creek

Man suspected of robbing pharmacy

A man suspected of stealing Oxycodone from a pharmacy didn’t get far before police arrested him.

Police said 21-year-old Ryan Belkin of Walnut Creek was only a short distance away from the CVS Pharmacy at 1123 S. California Blvd. when they caught up to him after the Thursday robbery at 6:45 p.m.

He was arrested on suspicion of robbery after police said he handed the pharmacy employee a note demanding Oxycodone and simulated having a handgun.

Officers found a demand note but did not recover a gun.

Belkin was taken to County Jail in Martinez, where he was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

— Rick Hurd, Staff

BAY AREA

Postal workers take in food donations

Postal customers can help with the Stamp Out Hunger food drive Saturday by leaving nonperishable foods by their mailboxes.

Nationwide that day, postal workers will pick up the food for delivery to local food banks. This year’s event is the 21st annual food drive sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers.

Residents may take part by filling a bag with nonperishable food — like peanut butter, pasta, rice, low-sugar cereal and canned foods such as tuna, meat, stew, soup, and vegetables — and placing it by their mailbox before their regular mail delivery time Saturday.

Organizers say the Stamp Out Hunger drive is the largest American single-day food drive.

Gangs were likely involved in the string of arson attacks, police said, and they come amid mounting concerns in Sweden about gang-related violence. More than 40 people were shot and killed in the Nordic country last year, and the prime minister said in January that he was not ruling out a military response to gang activity.

A rooftop camera recorded the silver Ford Fiesta driving past Parliament and suddenly veering sharply to the left, striking cyclists waiting at a set of lights, then crossing the road and crashing into a barrier outside Parliament. Armed police surrounded the car within seconds, pulling a man from the vehicle. Police said the driver was alone and no weapons were...